Slideshow: Serial killings story in photos

Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, a former Marine living with relatives in Yorba Linda, <a href=&#8220;http://www.ocregister.com/articles/homeless-335653-restaurant-dead.html&#8221; target=_blank&#8221;>was arrested Friday night in connection with the stabbing death of a homeless man</a> in Anaheim. Authorities believe the man known to his friends and family as "Izzy" carried out the slayings of three other homeless men in north Orange County in brutal stabbings stretching back to Dec. 20. Ocampo is expected to face murder charges Wednesday for a string of killings that terrorized communities and put transients on high alert.TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

After three homeless men were found stabbed to death within a 5-mile area in northern Orange County within eight days over the 2011 holiday season, law enforcement officials concluded that the savage slayings were the handiwork of a single killer.

The suspect, captured only as a shadowy figure on grainy surveillance camera footage outside a Placentia strip mall, would strike a fourth time.

This time, however, fast-acting witnesses outside a fast-food restaurant in Anaheim Hills would provide a description and other information that would lead to the capture of the suspect a short time later on the night of Jan. 13 after he fled on foot shedding clothes.

Tuesday, Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, a former Marine who was living with his mother, two younger siblings and an uncle in a rented home in Yorba Linda, is expected to be charged with killing the four men – a deadly spree that put the homeless community on edge.

Ocampo, currently in isolation at the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana, made his first court appearance on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Meanwhile, those who knew the four victims – James McGillivray, Lloyd Middaugh, Paulus Smith and a homeless man known as John – continue to mourn their passing.

And the public at large wonders what could have possibly motivated the young man accused of the killings to strike out so violently against four middle-aged men who called the streets their home. Ocampo could not find work after being discharged from the Marines in 2008, and his father has been homeless for several months.

Click on the photos to see a slideshow chronicle of the homeless slayings.

Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, a former Marine living with relatives in Yorba Linda, was arrested Friday night in connection with the stabbing death of a homeless man in Anaheim. Authorities believe the man known to his friends and family as "Izzy" carried out the slayings of three other homeless men in north Orange County in brutal stabbings stretching back to Dec. 20. Ocampo is expected to face murder charges Wednesday for a string of killings that terrorized communities and put transients on high alert. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
All is quiet at a Placentia strip mall on Dec. 22, the day after a local transient was found stabbed to death. Candles, top right, were left by mourners. James McGillivray, 53, was found suffering from multiple stab wounds by officers responding to reports of a body at the retail center in the 100 block of North Bradford Avenue about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21. McGillivray was pronounced dead at the scene. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, PHOTO BY BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A glimpse of a shadowy figure approaching the first victim, James McGillivray, was captured on a surveillance camera outside a Placentia strip mall. Placentia police detective Bryce Angel said McGillivray was "brutally" stabbed to death about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, the night before his body was found. The stabbing took place in an area where McGillivray was known to camp. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A memorial for Placentia stabbing victim James McGillivray, 53, is shown on Jan. 3. The memorial now includes notes from family members. By this time, police say, the killer had stabbed to death two other homeless men and still was at large. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Detail of the memorial for Placentia stabbing victim James McGillivray is shown in this photo taken Jan. 3. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Detail of the memorial for Placentia stabbing victim James McGillivray, 53. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
By Dec. 28, another body of a slain homeless man had turned up -- this time, on the Santa Ana River Trail, near the 91 freeway, in Anaheim. Police are shown here blocking off the scene after responding to the homicide of 42-year-old Lloyd Middaugh. Like first victim James McGillivray, Middaugh had been brutally stabbed multiple times. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An Anaheim police officer begins to place crime scene tape across the Santa Ana River Trail after Lloyd Middaugh, 42, was found stabbed to death on the trail under the 91 freeway, east of Tustin Avenue, on Dec. 28. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim police begin their investigation into the fatal stabbing of Lloyd Middaugh, whose body was found Dec. 28 in Anaheim. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim police scour the scene near where victim No. 2, Lloyd Middaugh, was found Dec. 28. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Cops confer Dec. 28 during a briefing on the slaying of Lloyd Middaugh. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A protective canopy shields the body of transient Lloyd Middaugh, 42, found fatally stabbed Dec. 28 on the Santa Ana River Trail at the 91 freeway in Anaheim. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On Dec. 30, a third homeless man was found stabbed to death. Police found Paulus Cornelius Smit, 57, whose last known address was in Yorba Linda, dead in a stairwell behind the Yorba Linda Public Library, which he frequented. This photo was taken Jan. 3 at the scene where he died. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brea Police Department crime scene investigators and deputy coroner investigators check the scene where the body of Paulus Cornelius Smit, 57, a homeless man, was found stabbed to death Dec. 30. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, RICHARD KOEHLER, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A memorial of flowers, prayer candles and photos grows at the spot where Paulus Cornelius Smit was found stabbed to death Dec. 30 in Yorba Linda. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The bloodied body of Paulus Cornelius Smit was found at the base of this stairwell behind the Yorba Linda Public Library on Dec. 30. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This Jan. 3 photo of an area located about 100 yards to the west of where transient Lloyd Middaugh, 42, was found fatally stabbed Dec. 28 shows a number of personal belongings under the Tustin Avenue bridge on the Santa Ana River Trail. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Near the spot where Lloyd Middaugh, 42, was found dead Dec. 28, a sign on the Tustin Avenue bridge of the Santa Ana River Trail warns about camping and storing personal property. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens says at a news conference on Jan. 3 that her department is working diligently to help solve the fatal stabbings of three homeless men in northern Orange County. At the news conference in Anaheim, a newly formed Homeless Homicide Investigative Task Force was introduced that included, left to right, Anaheim Police Lt. Julian Harvey, Brea Police Chief Jack Conklin, Anaheim Police Chief John Welter, Hutchens, Placentia Police Chief Rick Hicks, and FBI Special Agent William O'Leary. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A grainy still photo cropped from a video frame shows a shadowy figure, upper right, dressed in black and wearing a hooded sweatshirt, approaching Placentia stabbing victim James McGillivray, who was found slain on Dec. 21. The image was released Jan. 3 by the Homeless Homicide Investigative Task Force. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A still photo taken from a surveillance camera and released Jan. 3 shows James McGillivray, 53, standing by his personal belongings outside a strip mall in Placentia. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
At a Jan. 3 news conference, Anaheim Police Chief John Welter said the attacker is "what we believe to be a serious, dangerous serial killer operating in Orange County." Next to him are other leaders of the newly formed Homeless Homicide Investigative Task Force, including Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, left, and Placentia Police Chief Rick Hicks, right. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On Jan. 3, authorities released this photo, taken from a surveillance camera video, of a white Toyota Corolla, model year 2000 to 2003, in a parking lot near where James McGillivray was found slain Dec. 21. Police suspected that the car may have been linked to the fatal stabbing. The family of suspect Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, said in an interview Jan. 15 that Ocampo does not own or drive a white car. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The first of the four stabbing victims was killed on Dec. 20 as he slept outside a shopping center in Placentia; he was identified as James McGillivray, 53. His body was found the next morning, on Dec. 21. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The second stabbing victim, Lloyd Middaugh, 42, was found on the Santa Ana River Trail, near the 91 freeway in Anaheim, on Dec. 28. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Paulus Cornelius Smit, 57, the third stabbing victim, was slain Dec. 30 behind the Yorba Linda Public Library. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Erick Wong, 35, of San Diego, is the California regional director of the Guardian Angels. On Jan. 9, he announced in Anaheim that the Guardian Angels would be patrolling areas in Orange County to help protect against a suspected serial killer targeting the homeless. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Guardian Angels do not arm themselves but say they are quite effective working in a coordinated manner. They pledged Jan. 9 to alert authorities about anything suspicious as they patrolled the area where three homeless men were found slain. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
At least four people's encampments were set up in this area of the Santa Ana River Trail in Anaheim under the 57 freeway on Jan. 9. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
In this Jan. 9 photo, Guardian Angels Ehren Muller, David Eagle and Erick Wong walk the Santa Ana River Trail near Angel Stadium in Anaheim, passing under the 57 freeway as they patrol the area warning the homeless about a suspected serial killer in the area. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On Jan. 9, Guardian Angel Ehren Muller, 25, stops Argenis Juarez, 20, of Santa Ana, who was walking on the Santa Ana River Trail in Anaheim near the 57 freeway. Muller gave Juarez a flier warning him about the recent dangers on the trail due to a suspected serial killer targeting the homeless. Juarez said he was walking home from work at the time and had not heard about the serial killer. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A homeless person's encampment under the 57 freeway in Anaheim is shown abandoned during the day on Jan. 9. The area had at least four separate sleeping areas, indicating that the homeless community was camping close together following the vicious slayings of three homeless men in the area. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
FBI agents gather information from a driver at a car stop in Placentia on Jan. 10 as part of the Homeless Homicide Investigative Task Force's effort to locate a suspected serial killer. The car stop was held near the location where the first victim, James McGillivray, 53, was stabbed to death on Dec. 20. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Placentia residents read a flier distributed by the Homeless Homicide Investigative Task Force that shows security camera images of a suspect and a description of the car authorities believe belongs to him. The task force set up a road stop on Jan. 10. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Brea police officer, left, and an FBI agent team up on Jan. 10 to gather information from a driver during a car stop in Placentia as part of an effort to locate a suspected serial killer. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Members of the Homicide Investigative Task Force gather information from a driver at a car stop in Placentia on Jan. 10. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On Jan. 10, the Homeless Homicide Investigative Task Force banner is hung from an FBI vehicle near the intersection of Bradford Avenue and East Chapman Avenue before a car stop to gather information about a serial killer responsible for the death of three homeless men. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A motorist is questioned by FBI agents during a road stop set up in Yorba Linda on Jan. 13 near where Paulus Cornelius Smit, 57, was killed. He was the third victim of what police have called a "serious, dangerous serial killer." TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An Anaheim police officer searches the area near a drive-up lane at a Carl's Jr. in Anaheim on Friday night where a fourth stabbing victim was found. A suspect was arrested shortly afterward in the area. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, RICHARD KOEHLER, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Police investigators go over the scene where a fourth homeless man was found slain near a Carl's Jr. at the corner of La Palma Avenue and Imperial Highway in Anaheim on Friday evening. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim Deputy Police Chief Craig Hunter and Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait talk to the media on La Palma Avenue near Imperial Highway on Friday night after a fourth victim of a suspected serial killed was found. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sabine Ferrara says a prayer after placing flowers at a memorial for a homeless man known as John who was stabbed to death in Anaheim Hills on Friday night. "I saw him the night before. I'm just so sad," Ferrara said. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A makeshift memorial sits behind a fast-food restaurant in Anaheim on Saturday where a well-known homeless man was stabbed to death the night before. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sgt. Bob Dunn of the Anaheim Police Department takes part in a news conference on Saturday when it was announced that Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, of Yorba Linda was arrested in connection with the slayings of four homeless men. Dunn said investigators are "extremely confident" they have the man responsible for all four killings. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Booking photo of Itzcoatl "Izzy" Ocampo, 23, of Yorba Linda, who was arrested Friday night shortly after a fourth homeless man was stabbed to death outside a fast-food restaurant in Anaheim. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim Police Chief John Welter talks to the media at a news conference Saturday. The suspect in the slayings of four homeless men, Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, of Yorba Linda, is being held in isolation at Orange County Central Jail in Santa Ana. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Catherine Coen, second from left, leans on her boyfriend, Karl Andrassy, as Coen's brother Chris Stevens, right, looks on during a candlelight vigil for a fourth homeless stabbing victim known as John at Carl's Jr. in Anaheim Hills on Saturday night. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CHRISTINA HOUSE, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Gary Dreyer, 12, of Anaheim Hills, looks at a photograph of John, a fourth homeless stabbing victim, during a candlelight vigil at Carl's Jr. in Anaheim Hills on Saturday. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CHRISTINA HOUSE, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chris Juarez of Anaheim, right, is comforted as he speaks about his memories of John, a fourth homeless stabbing victim, during a candlelight vigil in Anaheim Hills on Saturday. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CHRISTINA HOUSE, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Raul Gonzalez, the uncle of Itzcoatl Ocampo, the suspect on the slayings of four homeless men, holds his nephew's military blues in Yorba Linda in the house Ocampo shared with relatives. Ocampo was a Marine corporal who served from 2006 to 2010, including a 7-month deployment in Iraq in 2008. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Itzcoatl Ocampo was a Marine corporal who served from 2006 to 2010, with a seven-month deployment to Iraq in 2008. He is described by his dad, Refugio Ocampo, as a man who loved his country, always helped others, and wanted to go into law enforcement when he got out of the service. But, said Refugio, his son was a different man when he returned. "The military killed the person he was," he said. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On Sunday, Mixcoatl Ocampo, 17, the brother of Itzcoatl Ocampo, the man accused in the slayings of four homeless men, talks to Itzcoatl's Marine buddies who say they support him and don't believe he is capable of the killings. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Itzcoatl Ocampo poses for a holiday picture on Dec. 23 -- two days after the first of four homeless men were found stabbed to death. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
After finding out the name of the man killed Friday night in Anaheim -- a transient who went by John -- Larry Pinson is comforted by Dave Sweeton, left, as Pinson cries for the loss of their friend. With them are Dave McNutt and Krista Schegetz, right, standing near a memorial next to a trash enclosure where John was stabbed to death. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brad Olsen of Anaheim, brother-in-law of slaying victim Lloyd "Jimmy" Middaugh, 42, came to the scene in Anaheim on Saturday where a memorial has sprung up to honor the life of the fourth victim, a transient known as John who was well-known in the area. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Marizela Bruestle of Anaheim is comforted by her daughter Rachel, 12, along the Santa Ana River Trail, off Imperial Highway near La Palma Avenue in Anaheim on Sunday. They visited the site where their homeless friend John used to lived. The Bruestle family prayed for John before going to bed every night and John prayed for them. He was stabbed to death outside a nearby Carl's Jr. Friday evening and was the fourth homeless stabbing victim. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A community says goodbye to a fixture of a man known as John at a bench where John spent time near the Santa Ana River trail in Anaheim. John was stabbed to death Friday evening. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Refugio Ocampo, the father of Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, of Yorba Linda, who is accused of killing four homeless men, also is homeless. He lives in the cab of an 18-wheeler in Anaheim. His son, a Marine corporal who was deployed to Iraq while serving from 2006 to 2010, was not the same when he returned home, according to his father. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Refugio Ocampo, the father of homeless slayings suspect Itzcoatl Ocampo, gets tearful as he describes his son Sunday. He says his son recently had been drinking a lot of beer and saying things that did not make sense. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A picture of a beloved homeless man known as John Berry, who was stabbed to death Friday night, is taped up behind a Carl's Jr. at Imperial Highway and La Palma Avenue in Anaheim on Sunday. Young and old shed tears for the man, described as a religious Vietnam vet whom many said never asked for anything. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A picture of a beloved homeless man known as John Berry, who was stabbed to death Friday night, is taped up behind a Carl's Jr. in Anaheim. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The memorial to a homeless man known to the community as John Berry grows behind a Carl's Jr. in Anaheim on Sunday. He was the fourth homeless man stabbed to death. The last time Yolanda Stone of Anaheim Hills, left, saw Berry in early 2010, she talked to him for three hours. Kyle Collister of Huntington Beach is on the right. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A note is left at the memorial for John Berry in a shopping center on Imperial Highway and La Palma Avenue in Anaheim. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A floral cross was left on the bench Monday where stabbing victim John Berry used to sleep. A memorial was planned there for 7:15 a.m. Tuesday. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Itzcoatl Ocampo speaks to his family in a video he sent home while in Iraq in 2008. The Ocampo family played the video for the media in their home television Monday. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Itzcoatl Ocampo reads "Green Eggs and Ham" for his little sister on a video he made for his family while in Iraq in 2008. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Itzcoatl Ocampo's little sister on Sunday points out her brother in a group photo from a 2006 graduating class at Camp Pendleton. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
In her home on Monday morning, Lilia Ocampo, 48, talks with Spanish-language television reporters about her son, Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, who is under arrest as the suspect in the killing of four homeless men. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An official portrait of Itzcoatl Ocampo in his Marine Corps dress uniform sits on the couch during media interviews Monday at his home in Yorba Linda. TEXT BY GREG HARDESTY, BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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